The Day the World was Mine
by roranicusp0ndicus
Summary: Kyoko and Ren met two years before they are supposed to when Ren is filming in Kyoto. Kyoko hasn't yet lost the ability to love or be loved, and there is an opening in the new action/romance that Tsuruga Ren is starring in...
1. Second Meeting

Second Meeting

A distraught teen wandered aimlessly through the large woods. She pushed back angry tears from her startling golden eyes as she stomped over the broken under bush. Shaking back her long dark hair, she looked around, deciphering her surroundings. Her eyebrows furrowed. A sigh escaped her before she marched off, following the sound of the babbling stream.

The young man who had been following the girl also sighed, as he attempted to work out where he had seen this pretty, young teen before. He followed her for quite a while longer, fruitlessly racking his brains as to who the girl was. After twenty long minutes he still had no idea who she was or what her name was, but Tsuruga Ren is not one to give up. Still he pushed on, deciding that the only thing for it was to ask for her name.

When the mysterious girl collapsed in the base of a large tree, he saw his chance and jolted forwards to the edge of the small clearing. As he caught sight of the stream running through the clearing he stopped abruptly, memories hitting him like a wave.

_**Kuon was mad. All he had wanted was to see Japan with his father, but instead he had got insulted and mocked. Just remembering that mean boy's taunting face made him shudder with rage.**_

"_**You're Kuu Hizuri's son aren't you? Bet you think that means you get special treatment of something, right? Well not from us posh boy! Come on lads."**_

_**Then the boy's fist had hit him hard, making blood trickle down his scrunched up face. This had happened before, back in America. It didn't make it any easier. Kuon opened his eyes up and hit, kicked and scratched until he saw an opening in the circle. He ran as hard and as fast as he could. He stopped, looking back to see if he had lost them. He had. Of course he had, he was the fastest boy in his school apart from Andy Williams, but Andy's legs were longer than Kuon was!**_

_**As Kuon approached a small clearing in the heart of the woods his angry thoughts were interrupted by a muffled sobbing sound. Confused, he moved forward, preparing to investigate the weird noise, when he saw a little girl crying her eyes out. He froze in his tracks when the small girl made a sniffling noise and looked up at him with wide, golden eyes.**_

"_**Are you a demon?"**_

Ren blinked, bringing him back to the present with a jolt. _Kyoko! _The little girl had been so kind to him over the short two weeks they had meet in summer break. Well, she wasn't so little now. If she was seven back then, that makes her thirteen now. Ren thought, doing mental arithmetic. He was still smiling at the prospect of meeting up with the innocent little girl, when he heard a sharp gasp and a little sob.

He was about to go shock her into forgetting whatever had made her sad, but stopped when he saw her click open a small purse and tip the content into her hand. She bent over the object and muttered furiously for a few seconds, before holding the little blue stone into the light.

"Annnnnnnnnnnnnnd snap, I'm back in the room." Kyoko grinned, then closed her eyes and added "Thank you Corn, for giving me this precious little thing. It never fails to take away my sadness. I just hope I haven't tainted the thing with evil sadness spirits of something."

Ren chuckled and Kyoko whirled around, a snarl on her dainty little face. "Who are you? Why are you here? No one comes here."

"Well I clearly do. Don't you remember me Kyoko-chan?" Ren chuckled, "I'm certainly older but I'm still trying to escape my fathers restraining fingers and fly. I can soar but I still get caught in my father's long shadow."

Kyoko's beautiful eyes widened and her feral snarl melted away.

"Corn" She exclaimed, bounding forward to hug her long lost fairy friend. "I missed you so much sometimes. When I don't add up to Mom's standards and my classmates are especially cruel, it would be nice to have a friend around. To comfort me, you know? Shotoro freezes up if I cry, so I try not to say anything around him, and nowadays he spends most of his time with that guitar of his."

Ren wheezed, it was all he could do under the tight grip of the jubilant Kyoko. He wheezed some more 'til she got his point and let go.

"Yeah, I know," he replied gently "and it's Ren now, not Corn, Tsuruga Ren."

Kyoko's already wide eyes grew even larger as realisation dawned.

"The Tsuruga Ren? The actor guy? You were Japan's Number One Rising Star To Watch! That's amazing! It also leads to the question, aren't you a fairy prince? _Not_ a minor celebrity?" Kyoko's eyebrow was raised accusingly, her hands on her hips.

"Well," Ren stammered, "You see, I'm not a fairy, Kyoko-chan." He continued before the girl could open her mouth, anger and surprise blazing in her amber eyes. "I lied, and I didn't even mean to. It's just that you were so young and I wanted you to stop crying." Ren looked at his feet and muttered, "I'm sorry."

Softening, Kyoko took Ren's hand. "It's okay. You meant well, I suppose." She looked into his dark grey eyes, searching them furiously. "But if you lie to me again then I'll curse your soul for thirteen years and then some!"

Ren smiled "Thank you for understanding, Kyoko-chan. Anyway," He steered the conversation away from his short stint of being a fairy prince, the first time he had ever acted for someone else other his mother or father, and towards Kyoko's school life, "You said the other pupils were being mean? What happened this time?"

Kyoko only needed a little prompting here and there, leaving Ren free to gaze into her pretty eyes. He was searching for ways that made her older, that made her different from the seven year old he had left behind in Kyoto. Asides from her cheekbones being more prominent, he could find none on her youthful face.

"They _what_?" Gasped Ren at a particularly malicious stunt pulled by one of Kyoko's spiteful peers.

"They left flowers on my desk. I know, that made me really mad. I cried so much that night." Kyoko said, her voice miserable and downtrodden. " I don't even know why they do it. It baffles me still, even after all these years; I just don't know what they have to be cruel about. My mother despises me; apart from Shotaro I have no friends at all and my looks leave nothing to be desired. If it is jealousy I don't know of any thing I have to be jealous of. Like I said, it baffles me."

Ren leans forward, a mischievous glint in his black eyes.

"Well then, lets give them something to be jealous of! I have a plan!"

* * *

**_Disclaimer: Skip Beat belongs to Yoshiki Nakamura._**

Thank you for reading! Please review, this is my first fan fiction :)


	2. Brand New You

Brand New You

Kyoko and Ren were both sitting on the mossy forest floor, discussing Ren's crazy plan.

"Who is this Jelly Woods person, Ren? More importantly, what's she going to do to my face?"

"She won't do any thing to your face, apart from putting a little makeup on you. She might give you a hair cut as well. I think you hide behind your hair, sometime." Ren frowned at Kyoko's long black hair, draped over her face like a curtain. It was covering her golden eyes.

"Won't I have to come to your set every day just to get a little makeup then? It would just be a waste of time."

Ren sighed."No Kyoko, I expect she'll give you a bit of make up and show you how to use it, that's all."

"Well can I meet this woman soon, please?" Kyoko was anxious to meet the woman she was going to entrust her appearance in, not because she was vain; she just didn't want to look like a clown.

"Sure," Ren smiled, "Lets just go over the plan one more time, okay?"

As they were approaching the hotel Ren and the rest of the crew were staying in, Kyoko could feel excitement and nerves bubbling up in the pit of her stomach. She clenched her fists and gave a elegant smile. She was going to look like a princess for the first time in her life!

Ren pushed open the door to the lobby of the swanky hotel and strolled to the elevator. It was a few seconds before he realized Kyoko wasn't with him. He whirled around and looked around for Kyoko, hoping she hadn't got lost in the large reception, filled with men and women in sober suits. He should have remembered that there was a business meeting in the conference hall of the hotel. It took a little time to locate her still standing, gazing around her with awe, by the big glass doors. The look on her face as she took the glamour in was priceless. She had always seen the grand hotel when she went into town, but she had never thought about what it would be like inside. Ren didn't notice the bouncy blond coming up behind him; he was focused on getting Kyoko to snap out of her daydream. Her face was rather comical, her mouth hanging open and her eyes glazed over.

"Ren! We missed you earlier. You should cut your walks down a little bit. We were worried about you." When she caught sight of the awestruck Kyoko Jelly danced around Ren to get a better look at her. "And who is this little darling, may I ask? She's gorgeous. Where did you find this one?"

For the first time Kyoko realized there were two people standing in front of her, talking about her as if she wasn't there.

"Mogami Kyoko, Ma'am. Pleased to make your acquaintance. Would you be Jelly Woods?" Kyoko was blushing furiously. She had let herself slip into fairyland when she was with Ren. She was cursing herself mentally, even as she was speaking to Jelly. The petite blond woman smiled warmly at Kyoko. It was a nice smile, dazzling but not cold and scary like one of Ren's gentleman smiles. It was inviting and kind.

"I am Jelly Woods. It's nice to meet you Mogami-san. So why are you guys here?" The last bit was directed at a bored looking Ren.

" We were looking for you actually. Some jokers were being cruel to Kyoko at school, so we would be grateful if you could make her look absolutely amazing so we can shock them with her new look right into next week. You're the best stylist I know and you happened to be right here. Are you in?" Jelly's eyes narrowed as her gaze flickered between the two kids. After a little pause she nodded vigorously and beamed at the two of them.

"Sure, I do love a challenge. Shall we go up to my room now and try out some new looks?"

Half an hour later, they were still nowhere. Every look left Kyoko looking amazing, and amazingly awkward.

"Can we take a break? These wigs are really itchy." Kyoko asked, removing a curly chocolate brown wig from her head. Ren and Jelly sighed. They exchanged a look before frowning.

"Sure Kyoko. I think a little time to relax would be good." Jelly took the wig from Kyoko and carefully set it down on the dressing table. "Kyoko, do you know what you actually want to look like? You've been silent through out the entire evening." The questioning look directed her way made her want to curl up in the corner of the room, like a scared little woodland animal. Kyoko's expression was one of misery.

"No. I didn't think about it at all. Wearing all those outfits felt weird. I like who I am, even if I get bullied for being me."

"Who are you Kyoko? If we knew we could, like, amplify you of something, without having to change who you are. "Ren's tone was exasperated and frustrated. Kyoko was so hard to figure out.

"I don't know, I'm just me." Kyoko was also frustrated, "I like manga and writing stories. I try my best at everything, to make my mom proud of me. I wish I was someone else and I like pretending to be someone else. I hate being me." Kyoko's eyes were rapidly filling up with tears of desperation and anger. While Ren was comforting the sobbing Kyoko, Jelly's mind cogs were whirling as an idea was beginning to take shape in her mind.

Another half hour later Kyoko was starting to look happy and comfortable with her new haircut and the makeup Jelly had put on her. Being treated like a giant Barbie doll was a little irritating, but it meant she could look like a princess then she didn't care. Right now Jelly was demonstrating how to apply blusher correctly, using a disgruntled Ren as a model. Kyoko was content. She was still herself, but now she looked… nice, really nice. She sighed with happiness as she caught sight of herself in the mirror behind Ren.

Her hair was still long and dark, but now it had a fringe cut in just above her eyes, making them the focus of her face, her pale cheeks had just a hint of pink about them. She was wearing a light purple t-shirt over black skinny jeans. Her shoes were a pair of chunky grey hi-tops and a brown leather jacket covered her arms. A gold and black necklace hung from her dainty neck, stopping at her belly button.

For the first time in an age, Kyoko felt pretty. She grinned and realized both Jelly and Ren were staring at her. She blushed scarlet, not having time to think, when Ren spoke out in his deep voice.

"Kyoko, did you hear me. It's nearly seven o'clock. Your mum will be getting worried, you have to go." In a flash Kyoko was at the door. She grinned.

"Thank you Jelly, Ren. I hope to see you tomorrow. Bye for now." As she opened the door she walked face first into a wall of muscle. A tall man frowned down on her.

"Who, may I ask, is this bundle of energy?" His voice was oddly high and Kyoko stifled the urge to giggle.

"M, Mogami Kyoko, Sir." Kyoko's voice quivered as the giggled threatened to break loose.

"Hmm." The man's head tilted to on side, as if he were thinking about something. "Do you act?" The simple question completely stunned Kyoko.

"I never thought of it, Sir. I'm sure I would like it if I tried." Kyoko replied politely, not wanting to offend the big man, as she searched for a way past his bulky frame. He completely blocked the large doorway.

"I just asked because one of the actresses has thrown a tantrum and left. Filming will be put on hold as we try to find someone else suitable for the part. It took long enough to sift through the auditions to find Akane," the muscular man's grimace turned into a grin. "As soon as it was out that Tsuruga Ren was the male lead in a new romance girls from all over the country started to send in audition tapes. I was thinking that Mogami-san looked near enough to the description of Kohoku she could possibly take Akane's role, but if she has never acted before I doubt she could play a role as complex as Kohaku. We will have to search for someone else. It is a shame; she could have solved our problems in the blink of an eye." He shook his head sadly and sighed, "All the previous filming will have to be shooting will have to be deleted and we will be delayed by at least another month." Kyoko felt compelled to cheer him up.

"I could try. Give me a shot, you never know. I might have a hidden talent for acting." Kyoko shrugged her shoulders and smiled upwards, hopefully. The man smiled back at her.

"Maybe, I'll give you a script. Come back here tomorrow, at ten o'clock for a little trial and we can see whether you have the makings of an actress. I will expect you to be completely in character from the moment you walk through the hotel doors, to the moment you walk out of them." He smiled back at her, "And by the way, I am Aramaki Yori." With a smile he handed Kyoko a script and left, leaving the doorway free to use.

Kyoko turned to Ren, a small, bewildered smile present on her face.

"What is the film about, Ren? You never said."

Ren laughed. "It's about a group of vigilante Superheros, like Batman. I'm a superhero in training, and I save you and Mizuki from a mugger. The two of you try to find out who I am because you didn't get a chance to thank me. That's how you find out about the underground Hero society!" He said, his eyes shining as he described what sounded more like a action/comedy than a romance to Kyoko.

"Isn't it meant to be a romance story? 'As soon as it was out that Tsuruga Ren was the male lead in a new romance girls from all over the country started to send in audition tapes.'" She quoted.

Blushing, Ren answered. "Yeah, there's a little romance between Kohaku, and my character, Hiroto." The teen glanced down to his silver watch. "You should go home soon Kyoko. It's getting late."

Kyoko nodded, and shot a small grin back at the pair before swiftly exiting the building.

Deep in thought, Kyoko walked her bike back to her house. It was another hour before sunset, the August sun still high in the sky, shining. Her mother wouldn't be worried, she never was. Kyoko stayed at the Fuwa's house when her mother went away, which was often. Her mom had just returned from a business trip that had lasted three weeks.

After sliding in the front door, Kyoko crept up the stairs, silently, so not to disturb her mother. Once she had reached her bedroom, she opened the script and began flicking through it. After around an hour she thought she had Kohaku's character down, and could even walk the way that she imagined Kohaku would. Over and over, she went through scenarios in her head, imagining how Kohaku would react if she had been subjected to the bullying that Kyoko had been. Kohaku was angry most of the time and she argued with everyone, so people tended to avoid her. She came from a broken home; her older brothers were also rebelling. She was untouchable. No one even tried to talk with her, until Mizuki, the transfer student, came. Mizuki didn't fear Kohaku; she felt sorry for her and tried to make friends with her. At first Kohaku was spiteful towards Mizuki, but then she let her in. They eventually became good friends.

Kyoko only had a small portion of the script, but she had already created her character from the fragment that she did have. She went over the lines in her head, until she knew them by heart. Once she was confident in her character she figured out what she would wear the next day. After digging through her wardrobe for a little while she found her long black boots from last winter. She decided to wear the leather jacket and skinny jeans again with a black vest top underneath. Confident in herself, Kyoko got into bed and fell asleep, after setting her alarm clock for eight the next morning.

* * *

**_Disclaimer: Skip Beat belongs to Yoshiki Nakamura._**

Thank you for reading the second chapter of The Day The World Was Mine! I was so touched by your response, and am so grateful!


	3. Audition

Auditions

Kyoko woke up to her mother's voice. It was loud and tinged with anger. The clock on her floor read 9:35. Frantically, Kyoko realised that her alarm clock was broken.

"Kyoko! Wake up and pack your bags. You're going to the Fuwa's again; I'm leaving for Tokyo this afternoon and I don't want you in the house." She called.

Swiftly, Kyoko climbed out of bed and grabbed the emergency overnight bag she kept for situations like this. Sometimes her mom would order her to leave, and the only place Kyoko had to go was Shotoro and his parents' Ryokan. It wasn't often that her mom was home, and Saena locked the doors meaning Kyoko couldn't get in, and it was rare that she would get to sleep in her own bed. Once, when she was eight, her mother had left her with the Fuwa family for so long that they thought she wasn't going to come back.

Kyoko quickly yanked on the clothes she had set aside the previous night, and swung the backpack onto her shoulder. She would come back in to collect some more things- toiletries, clothes, books through the window of her bedroom. It was a loose window and there was a ledge that was about a meter or so under it. Kyoko had more important things to do right now, like go to the audition that Aramaki-sama had arranged. It would be so impolite to miss it, especially as Aramaki-sama had set it up just for her.

Hurridly she scurried down the stairs, and swung into the kitchen/dining room.

"I'm leaving now, Okaa-sama. I shall send the Fuwa's your regards." Kyoko said quietly. Saena did not look up from her newspaper.

Kyoko let out a sigh of regret, and her features shifting into an expression as dismal as the grey sky. She took out her battered old second-hand bike from the back of the house and began to pedal manically to the Fuwa's Ryokan. It was situated amongst a cluster of trees, their leaves a vibrant green, and blossoms springing up all over it. Kyoko rested her bike on a tree and walked towards the entrance of the Inn. Her heart beat faster as she contemplated maybe seeing Shotoro when she informed his parents that her mother would be leaving to Tokyo. Shotoro always made her feel... strange. Kyoko couldn't quite put her finger on it, but when ever she saw him she'd blush or smile too much.

_Maybe you love Shotoro? _A voice whispered in her mind.

Kyoko shook her head, as if she was shaking the thought away. It was already 9:48, according to her watch. She needed to hurry. It wouldn't do to be late. The steps leading to the Ryokan seemed to be miles long, and when Kyoko reached the doors, she rushed inside, knowing that Ren would be waiting for her at the hotel.

Shotoro's Okaa-san was arranging a vase of seasonal flowers on the polished wood table.

"Ohayō gozaimasu, Kyoko." She smiled. "What's the matter?"

"Sorry for the inconvenience, but my mother is leaving tonight and I was wondering if I could stay here?" Kyoko said, out of breath from her bike ride. "I'll work for you until Mom returns." She added hurriedly. Fuwa-san nodded kindly.

"You can stay as long as you like, Kyoko. You know that."

Kyoko breathed in relief. "I'm so sorry, Fuwa-san, but I have an appointment," she glanced at her watch, "five minutes ago. I will be back later. Thank you so much." Kyoko bowed low and waved goodbye.

Her bicycle took her to the hill the hotel sat atop. There wasn't anywhere obvious to park her bike, so Kyoko lay it down behind a bush so it couldn't be seen by passers-by. As she put her hand on the glass door, she remember the words Aramaki-sama had spoken yesterday.

_"I will expect you to be completely in character from the moment you walk through the hotel doors, to the moment you walk out of them."_

Kyoko reached into the pocket of her jeans and drew out a clutch purse. Clicking it open, she took a small blueish stone from it. It was already quarter past ten. Clenching the stone tight in her fist, Kyoko pushed the door open. She shouldered her way through a crowd of American tourists, and rudely pushed her way to the elevator. Once inside the lift Kyoko took out a piece of gum. Noisily, she began to chew it.

The doors opened at the fifth floor: the floor Ren was staying on. With a walk almost like a boy's, Kyoko strolled over to Ren's door. Her (or rather Kohaku's) knock was quick and sharp, as if her anger was being thrust onto the door through her knuckles. Slowly the handle turned and Ren's face appeared, soon followed by his muscular chest and long legs.

"Kyoko? Weren't you supposed to be here twenty minutes ago?" he asked, shocked.

"Kohaku's my name," Kyoko spat, "and I'm looking for Aramaki. You seen him?"

Ren seemed confused with Kyoko's reaction, but he lead her to room number 5G nonetheless.

"Good luck," he said, and opened the door, to reveal a comfortable looking living room with Aramaki, a teenage girl with long, dark, reddish brown hair piled in a bun on the top of her head, and a short looking man wearing glasses.

"I have, er, Kohaku here to see you Yori-san." Ren announced. Aramaki looked up, and smiled slightly.

"I see that you remembered what I said about staying in character, Mogami-san."

Kyoko looked away. "This is Kyoko, Hotaru, Osamu. She's the girl who I mentioned would be auditioning for the role of Kohaku." Aramaki said to the man and the girl. They nodded, and the girl, Hotaru, stood up.

"Hello, Kohaku." She said shyly. "I'm... Mizuki." Hotaru picked up her script from the coffee table but didn't open it.

"Why don't people talk to you? I've noticed that everybody ignores you, even the teachers." The red-head said, curiously. Kyoko recognised this as the first line of the script she'd been given.

"People care too much about appearances to be seen talking to a freak." Kyoko replied in an offhand voice.

Hotaru took a step towards her, lifting her arm as if to put her hand on Kyoko's shoulder, but faltered and it dropped back to her side.

"Why do they call you a freak?" Hotaru asked quietly. Kyoko turned away.

"None of your business, new girl." Kyoko turned back to the teen. "Maybe you should keep your abnormally large nose out of other people's stuff."

Without realising, Hotaru's hand went to touch her nose, uncertainly.

"I was just trying to be nice." She said desperately, as Kyoko turned back around.

"Yeah? Well I don't need your pity." Kyoko hissed, as her eyes shifted from gold to a darker, amber red. The girl stalked off, leaving Hotaru staring after her as Kyoko slammed the door that she had come in only a few minutes ago.

Aramaki stood up and smiled at Osamu. "I think we've found our Kohaku."

* * *

**_Disclaimer: Skip Beat belongs to Yoshiki Nakamura._**

I'm back! This chapter wasn't half as good, or long as I'd hoped, but I'm just glad that my computer's finally working! Thank you for all your reviews last chapter; I've updated the previous two, so you might want to take a look at them because of the changes I've made might make you confused.


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